Those skilled in the art recognize the need to anchor objects and/or people relative to a support structure. For example, when a building is being constructed, a worker is well advised to attach a safety line or fall arrest line between his body and a structurally sound portion of the building. One widely accepted fall arrest system uses intermittent brackets to support a horizontal line which supports individual worker safety lines and minimally interferes with the worker's movements. A slotted coupling device is connected to an individual safety line and movably mounted on the horizontal line. The device is designed to traverse the brackets without compromising the structural integrity of the connection between the worker and the support structure. Examples of such systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,975 to Riches et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,385 to Riches et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,427 to Riches et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,410 to Sharp et al.
The foregoing prior art patents disclose horizontal safety line systems which are advantageous in many respects. However, one shortcoming of such systems is that the safety line must be threaded through each of the anchorages or support brackets. As a result, if one of the brackets requires replacement, then an end of the safety line must be freed, pulled through any intervening brackets, and then threaded through the replacement bracket and back through the intervening brackets. Such a procedure is time consuming and increases the likelihood of undesirable wear and tear on other components of the system. Therefore, a need remains for an intermediate anchorage or bracket which is relatively simple to make and use, may be connected to an intermediate portion of a safety line, and does not compromise the structural integrity of the system.